Warzone players call for major LMG buffs as Assault Rifles dominate meta

Liam Mackay
Nikto with PKM LMG in Warzone

Although supposed to be long-range powerhouses, with a few exceptions, LMGs have never broken into Warzone’s meta for long. Claiming that LMGs have no identity, players are calling for major buffs.

Although weapons come and go from Warzone’s meta, how the guns behave has almost always stayed the same. Players always stick with a long-range weapon with low recoil and a large mag size, and a lightweight SMG with a fast TTK.

The long-range weapon has almost always been an Assault Rifle or an LMG that’s been built to act like an Assault Rifle, and players are growing tired of it. With a couple more Warzone Pacific seasons left and Warzone 2 on the horizon, players are calling for major LMG buffs so they’ll have their own identity.

player firing ugm-8 lmg in warzone and vanguard

Although a couple of LMGs such as the Bruen Mk9, MG82, and Bren have made their way into Warzone’s meta, the class as a whole has never come close to the popularity or efficiency of Assault Rifles.

Reddit user IonlyPlayAOE3 explained why LMGS have a “sh*t identity” in Warzone, laying much of the blame on Vanguard weapons’ ten attachments. They explained that an Assault Rifle can do everything that an LMG can, especially by holding at least 60 rounds.

They hope that LMGs will have much more of an identity in Modern Warfare 2 and Warzone 2, where Assault Rifles should “struggle against LMGs in long-range to ultra long range engagements.”

Many players agreed, wanting an Assault Rifle to become a middle ground between LMGs and SMGs. “They should lose to LMGs at range, and lose to SMGs up close, but be a decent middle ground,” explained Shielo34.

However, some worried that buffing LMGs would just make them replace Assault Rifles in the meta. Instead of giving LMGs straight buffs, some suggested lowering Assault Rifles’ magazine size.

Warzone players were starting to catch on to Season 4’s UGM-8 LMG and its burst-fire barrel, but the devs were quick to nip that in the bud with the June 30 update. With the NZ-41 now nerfed as well, we’ll need to wait and see how the post-nerf UGM fits into the Season 4 meta.

Image Credit: Activision

About The Author

Liam is CharlieIntel's Editor who focuses on Call of Duty but also plays lots of fantasy RPGs or anything else in his massive gaming backlog. After graduating in Journalism from Edinburgh Napier University, Liam freelanced in games journalism before joining CharlieIntel in November 2020. You can contact Liam at [email protected].